Wednesday

Aug 8, 2018 at 9:54 AMAug 8, 2018 at 9:54 AM

Any actor who understands the business will tell you that it’s a crapshoot, that even if they get plenty of small parts, there’s no clue that a road will open up to bigger parts. They don’t know if working in television will lead to working in films, or if, once established as a comic actor, it’s wise to try for serious roles. Then there are those actors who are so busy, with so many different projects, they’re just enjoying the ride. That’s the case with Gemma Chan and Jimmy O. Yang. Both have small parts in lots of films (standouts are “Submarine” for Chan and “Patriots Day” for Yang). Both have been in long-running TV series (Chan is Mia on “Humans,” Yang is Jian Yang on “Silicon Valley”). Both have big films in the can (Chan plays Minn-Erva in “Captain Marvel,” Yang plays a cop in “The Happytime Murders”).

But first they’ll appear in supporting roles in the splashy romantic comedy “Crazy Rich Asians,” the story of a huge wedding being thrown in Singapore, and the friends and family surrounding it. London-born Chan is Astrid Leong, the wealthy, good-natured woman who’s going through a rough patch. Yang, a Hong Kong native, is Bernard Tai, a wealthy, egocentric fellow who lives to party. Both actors made a stop in Boston last week to chat up the film.

Q: The book “Crazy Rich Asians” was published five years ago and is a huge hit. Were you both fans before you got the parts?Yang: I listened to it on an audio book, and when I found out it was being cast for a movie, I told my managers, “I know I’m usually a more comedic character actor, but let me try out for the lead role.” But my manager said, right there on the phone, “Jimmy, I’ve gotta be honest with you, they’re looking for a really good-looking guy for the lead.” So, I said, “Say no more.” Actually, at first, I read for Collin (the groom), but then they asked me if I wanted to do Bernard, and that was the role I really wanted to do. It’s funny and crazy and big, even though he’s only in a few scenes.

Chan: I heard about the book from my sister when it first came out. I read it and loved it, and Astrid was my favorite character. I thought it would be a great film, and a couple of years later my agent said, “They’re making a film of it, would you be interested?” And I said, “Yes, I want to play Astrid.”

Q: Talk a little bit about these characters. What do you feel makes them tick?Chan: Astrid undeniably comes from a very privileged, wealthy background, but she doesn’t buy into the trappings of wealth. She’s kind of enigmatic, and everyone assumes she has this perfect existence. You know, perfect marriage, perfect child, perfect life, but it was fascinating to me to find that underneath all of that she’s really struggling to hold it all together. Yet part of the joy of Astrid is that she’s got many facets to her character and people wouldn’t necessarily know that she’s mischievous and cheeky and how much fun she is.

Yang: Bernard is a jerk. He’s the worst type of villain and the worst type of rich person. He had no limitations when he was growing up, and he’s completely spoiled by his wealth. He uses it for his own confidence and gains, without seemingly caring very much about other people’s feelings. When he’s throwing the bachelor party he doesn’t really care much about the guy getting married; he makes it a party about himself. But it’s so much fun to play a role like this. As functional members of society, we have to act a certain way, but there is a part of me that wishes I could be like that guy, with no consequences.

Q: Do you recall a certain film or TV show you saw when you were young that got you interested in acting?Yang: When you watch films like “Terminator 2” and “Blood Sport” and all those action films as a little Asian kid, it’s not like, “Oh! I can do that!” Even watching Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan, I knew I couldn’t do martial arts. So, for me, when I came to America and saw Ken Jeong doing standup and Bobby Lee on TV being really funny, I thought, “Oh, Asian people can be funny, too.” I realized we didn’t have to just be martial artists, and I saw the possibility of doing this.

Chan: Growing up I loved Spielberg’s films. I was around 8 when “Jurassic Park” came out, and “E.T.” was so magical and powerful to me as a child. That was when I fell in love with movies. But seeing Asian faces onscreen, particularly in the UK, where I grew up, was so rare. It never really occurred to me that it was something I could do as a job. I did a lot of music and drama at school, but it was just for fun, and I never really thought it was something I could viably do. But now I’m working a lot.

“Crazy Rich Asians” opens on Aug.15.— Ed Symkus writes about movies for More Content Now. He can be reached at esymkus@rcn.com.

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